LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB/WKYT) — Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman filed a motion earlier this month as he fights to resume executions in the state.
The push stems from a case dating back to 1994, when Ralph Baze was convicted of killing two law enforcement officers and sentenced to death. That sentence hasn't been carried out, and Coleman said he wants to see that change.
Since then, about a dozen Kentucky death row inmates have challenged the state's execution protocol, resulting in a temporary injunction.
"It is time for this case to end," Coleman said in March. "Not to sweep anything under the rug, but to uphold the rule of law and to recognize this is needless delay."
In the motion filed July 7 in a 20-year-old lawsuit, Coleman argues protocols for executions have since been modernized and the timeline has passed for the judge to make a ruling.
The judge said he expects a ruling within the next 30 days. But if the injunction is lifted, there could still be hurdles, including access to lethal drugs.
Kentucky hasn't carried out an execution since 2008.
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